The Playlist

Casting: Dominic Cooper Draw 'Dracula,' Keanu Reeves Is 'John Wick' & More

By Cain Rodriguez
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May 9, 2013 4:47 PM
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0 Comments

News

Despite the festering wound that was “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” the film’s two leads haven’t taken much of a hit as both have landed some big roles.

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Aaron Paul Out, Benjamin Walker In For HBO's Spy Series 'The Missionary'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 8, 2012 10:45 AM
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1 Comment

Television

"I'm a movie star now, bitch," "Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul said into his cellphone to HBO, before driving his Ferarri into the Malibu sunset. Okay, that probably didn't happen, but with the actor now toplining the franchise ready "Need For Speed," it seems the allure of the television -- no matter how strong the quality of the project -- is perhaps losing its sheen. Even though it was reported to have a pilot order this summer, it seems HBO's "The Missionary" has had to find a new lead, and indeed they have.

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Review: 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' Is A Surprisingly Solid Mix of History & Horror

By Drew Taylor
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June 21, 2012 8:30 AM
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10 Comments

Reviews

One of the biggest question marks of the summer movie season has been "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," Timur Bekmambetov's $70 million R-rated historical mash-up that sees the sixteenth President of the United States fighting undead creatures and the evils of slavery, all at the same time (in 3D, no less). Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, who also wrote the screenplay (with uncredited help from Simon Kinberg), and produced by top ghoul Tim Burton, the trailers and television spots didn't completely convey whether or not it was supposed to be funny or scary, serious or silly. It turns out that (brilliantly) -- it's both. Somehow the movie manages to be fun and tongue-in-cheek without ever seeming disrespectful. It's a winning combination of history and horror where Honest Abe is able to kick serious ass.

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Tim Burton & Timur Bekmambetov Talk The "Superhero Origin Story" Of 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' & Why They Went 3D

By Gabe Toro
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June 20, 2012 3:19 PM
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1 Comment

News

When Seth Grahame-Smith began to write the “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” he didn’t let the epiphany of a wacky title affect his dead-serious alternate universe story -- our 16th President, leader of the people by day, and slayer of the undead at night. Though he couldn’t have expected that the premise to catch the fancy of A-List filmmaker Tim Burton, who heard the title and experienced a brief flashback.

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Benjamin Walker Talks 'Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight,' Discusses The Wushu Aspects Of The Aborted 'Paradise Lost' Adaptation

By Gabe Toro
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June 19, 2012 10:17 AM
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1 Comment

News

One of the crucial aspects of this Friday's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" was seeing a fresh face in the lead role, allowing him to become the bloodsucker-loathing President. However, the anonymity of Benjamin Walker, who stars as the axe-swinging badass, isn't expected to last, with the thesp involved in a number of high-profile projects.

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Watch: 3 New Clips From 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' Plus Ear Ruining Linkin Park Scored Music Trailer

By Charlie Schmidlin
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June 18, 2012 12:59 PM
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2 Comments

News

After its initial run of promotional material consisted of grandiose proclamations set over slo-mo glimpses of bloody vampire killing, three new clips from “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” have surfaced, and… surprise, surprise, more of the same on display.

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Zhang Ziyi Courted For Ed Zwick's 'The Great Wall,' Filming Pushed To Spring 2013

By Simon Dang
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June 11, 2012 10:24 AM
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1 Comment

News

As a youth, Ed Zwick must have really enjoyed history class as films with a period setting and/or stories set to the backdrop of war or conflict are a recurring theme in his work. Despite a gear change with "Love And Other Drugs" in 2010, Zwick looks to be returning to his bread and butter with "The Great Wall," a China-set historical epic.

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Alexander Skarsgard Or Benjamin Walker Will Join Henry Cavill In 'The Great Wall'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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June 4, 2012 1:47 PM
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11 Comments

News

So which unproven movie actor will join another untested thesp in a period movie about the the Great Wall Of China? That's right, this has all the ingredients of a SMASH HIT.

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History Only Remembers A "Fraction Of The Truth" In New 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' Trailer

By The Playlist
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March 18, 2012 8:29 AM
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2 Comments

News

2012 could be best remembered as the year when Hollywood got cold feet and backed away from its newest stars-in-the-making. To wit: While the Internet and the movie-blog industry loves Tom Hardy, the Weinstein Company knows the signal to noise ratio just doesn't match and they bumped "The Wettest County" (a prohibition drama that Hardy stars in) in the release schedule until, after "The Dark Knight Rises" (Hardy is the main villain), hoping the immense popularity of that picture will only help the awareness of the limited release drama centering on three brothers who run an illegal moonshine operation.

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Benjamin Walker, Tom Hiddleston, Lily Collins, Bella Heathcote & Jessica Brown Findlay Testing For Akiva Goldsman's 'Winter's Tale'

By Benjamin Wright
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February 29, 2012 10:25 AM
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3 Comments

News

While he may draw the critical scorn of fanboys everywhere with even the mention of his name, and rightfully so after penning the screenplays for the weak “Batman Forever” and disastrous “Batman & Robin,” screenwriter Akiva Goldsman still holds a lot of clout in Hollywood. That’s what one earns when they write behemoth blockbusters that span multiple genres, such as “I Am Legend” or “A Beautiful Mind,” as well as help usher in franchises with the likes of “The Da Vinci Code.” It was reported all the way back in February of 2011 that Goldsman would be lensing his directorial debut “Winter’s Tale," but at the beginning of this month it looked as if Goldsman called in some favors to his famous friends after the production hit some budgetary speed bumps, landing “I Am Legend” star Will Smith and “A Beautiful Mind” actor Russell Crowe in supporting roles. About $20 million was shaved off the budget and the project gained some much needed steam, so it pays to have friends in high places.

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